“Best for Good Jobs”: Seattle No. 5 in nation

Seattle is ranked No. 5 in Forbes’ annual list of the 10 “Best Cities for Good Jobs,” trailing four Texas cities in a list made up entirely of cities in the West and Southwest.

“Seattle’s unemployment rate is a little high, but so are the wages in this technology capital, and they’re projected to grow at a 2.6 percent annual clip,” the magazine said in summarizing its ranking.

Dallas is No. 1 with a projection of a 2.8 percent growth rate, with “Big D” having in Forbes‘ words “shrugged off” the bankruptcy of American Airlines’ parent company. It is followed by Houston, Austin and Fort Worth, all in the Lone Star State.

“Austin is sucking in high-technology jobs from more expensive California and struggling to keep up with growth in demand for houses and roads,” Forbes says of the capital, a socially enlightened island in Texas and city renowned for its music and clubs.

But Seattle is singled out for praise, with Forbes saying: “The fastest growing city for good jobs outside of Texas was another technology capital, Seattle, which is expected to add 136,000 jobs over the next five years.”

San Antonio is No. 6, followed by Oklahoma City at No. 7, the city that appropriated Seattle’s National Basketball Association franchise.

The list moves left on the map (and in politics) with Denver at No. 8. “Denver’s unemployment rate hasn’t fully recovered yet, but the Mile-High City is showing a strong rebound in financial services hospitality and education,” Forbes reports.

At No. 9 is San Francisco. The conservative Forces says of “Babylon-by-the-Bay”: “The San Francisco area has sky-high prices to complement its sky-high wages.”

The late conservationist author Edward Abbey loved to celebrate the scenic beauty of Utah while poking fun at its air pollution and social attitudes. “Visitors are always welcome in the Beehive State: Just turn your watch back 50 years,” he once wrote.

Forbes would disagree. In spite of, or maybe because of its dirty winter air, Salt Lake City is No. 10 on the list. “Salt Lake City’s growth rate is tapering off a bit from last year but the metropolitan area is expected to add at least 60,000 jobs through 2020.

The No. 5 national ranking is sure to be embraced — has already been embraced — by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, who has become a near-daily ambassador of good news in his quest for a second term after a sometimes-rocky three years at the job.

In his State-of-the-City speech earlier this month, McGinn boasted: “Our job growth rate of 6.6 percent is more than double the rate of the nation and triple the rate of the rest of the state.”